Rudy’s Café Expansion Underway

Upon returning to the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business at the end of spring break on March 25, 2013, students discovered that much of Edward’s Courtyard area outside of Van Munching Hall is inaccessible due to construction to expand seating at Rudy’s Café and to improve the flow of the walkways in the courtyard.

Two years ago, in response to feedback from students, faculty and staff, Rudy’s Café was renovated to increase the number of hot food offerings available and to expand the coffee bar, said Lee Comstock, director of operations for Smith. He added that the project also made Rudy’s more visually appealing.

The space required for the expansion reduced the number of seats at Rudy’s Café from 60 to 20. The current construction will increase the number of seats back to 60.

Rudy’s Café will be expanded so that the current outdoor seating area, which will be replaced with new seats, will become an indoor seating area. The expansion will also include a new outdoor entrance to Rudy’s Café, which will feature a double-door airlock to prevent cold air from entering the café, Comstock said. New outdoor seating will be constructed outside the expanded café.

The project will also improve the walkways outside of Van Munching Hall’s South Wing. The diagonal walkway that connects the middle of the courtyard to the northern entrance of the South Wing will be moved slightly to the east so that its path leads directly to the doors at the entrance. A short walkway will be added to connect the diagonal walkway to Rudy’s Café.

The construction is expected to be completed during the summer. A lot of the work can be done with Rudy’s Café open, so it will remain open through spring finals, Comstock said. After finals, Rudy’s Café will be closed, with a planned re-opening Aug. 6, though Comstock said he is hopeful that it will re-open sooner.

Peter Haldis, Smith Media Group, MBA Candidate 2014